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Boarded Windows
You know how images trigger emotions? You can see something that can leave you warm and fuzzy for hours or fill you with hope and wonder for days. Something that has always struck me as sad has been closed, boarded-up shops and businesses. Namely...
Dead Sea Beauty Products
Without a doubt, one of the liveliest business and investment ventures rocking the health and beauty industries today is the ancient, venerable Dead Sea. From mineral-rich black mud body masques to health treatments in thermo-mineral springs and...
Don't Let Your Skin Go Dry
Please feel free to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated. Please send a copy or a link to your publication to...
Glow Storm: How to Wear the Hottest Golden Makeup Trend
This winter, Midas touched every makeup product he could possibly reach. Soft golden liners and shadows are the latest evening accessory to any outfit. In fact, gold is a very easy color to play with: it looks lovely with all skin tones and...
Living Impeccably
The key to living in this world as a healer is to incorporate our skills and disciplines into our hearts in the most impeccable way possible. It is not enough to have knowledge or good intentions. The Shaman strives constantly to be the most...
Setting Up Your Office For "Health"
If you work and are spending one third to one half of your day in an office setting then your surroundings there are as important as those in your home. Although we usually have little control over the buildings we work in, being aware of...
Ten Important Things to Know Before You Join a Weight Loss Program
1. What is my BMI and how do I calculate it? BMI means Body Mass Index. Healthy weight is defined as a BMI equal to or greater than 19 and less than 25 among all people aged 20 or over. To determine body mass index, divide weight in...
Wanted: Satisfaction!
"Newsweek" recently published an article on "Mommy Madness." (Feb. 21, 2005) Judith Warner writes of "the push to be perfect," that the type of hands-on mothering society expects of women today is "utterly incompatible with any kind of outside...
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Sunburn: Skin Cancer and Aging of the Skin
The experience of sunburn can be a very efficient (i.e. painful) reminder to heed adequate protection on future occasions. However more importantly, it should be a reminder of the long-term effects of sun exposure on our bodies and health – which can include aging of the skin and skin cancer.
In order to more fully understand these consequences, let’s take a look at exactly what sunburn is, its symptoms and its effect on the body.
Sunburn results when the amount of exposure to the sun, or other ultraviolet light source (e.g. tanning lamps and welding arcs etc.), exceeds the ability of the body's protective pigment, melanin, to protect the skin. Melanin content varies greatly, but in general darker skinned people have more melanin than lighter skinned. (Although fairer skinned people are generally more prone to getting sunburn than darker skinned people, this certainly does not exclude the latter from risk.)
Sunburn destroys cells in the outer layer of the skin, damaging tiny blood vessels underneath. Burns deeper into the skin’s layers also damage elastic fibers in the skin, which over time and with repeated sun overexposure, can result in the appearance of yellowish, wrinkled skin.
The damage to skin cells from UV exposure (either sunlight or tanning lamps etc.) can also include damage to their DNA. It’s this repeated DNA damage, which can lead to a cell becoming cancerous. With the incidence of skin cancer rising dangerously in many parts of the world, and with its ability to develop and establish itself in the body ‘long’ before external signs are detected, -- paying attention to this aspect of sun exposure and sunburn should certainly not be ignored if we are serious about preserving our health.
Now while it may be easier to ignore the effects of sunburn occurring at a cellular level, ignoring the external symptoms of
sunburn in the days immediately following such exposure is entirely another matter.
While sunburn is usually not immediately obvious, skin discoloration (ranging from slightly pink to severely red or even purplish) will initially appear from 1 – 24 hours after exposure. Although pain is usually worst 6 – 48 hours afterward, the burn can continue to develop for 24 – 72 hours after the incident. Where there is skin peeling, this generally occurs 3 – 8 days after the burn occurs.
While minor sunburns typically cause nothing more than warm/hot skin, slight redness, and tenderness to the affected area, -- in more serious cases, extreme redness, swelling and blistering can occur. These blisters filled with fluid may itch and eventually break. This can then cause peeling of the skin, exposing an even tenderer layer of skin underneath.
Severe sunburn can cause very red, blistered skin but can also be accompanied by fever, chills, nausea (in some cases vomiting), and dehydration. In instances of extreme sunburn where the pain is debilitating, medical treatment may be required.
While the immediate effects of sunburn can certainly be painful and cause discomfort, the real deterrent to UV overexposure should be the potential damage to your long-term health – including the risk of premature aging of the skin along with skin cancer.
Don’t let sunburn and sun overexposure kill your chances of enjoying youthful skin, and a healthy body. Remember, the easiest way to treat sunburn will always be to avoid it in the first place!
Angela Perin is editor of the www.safetan.com.au/safetansubscribe.aspx" target="new">'Safe Tan Ezine', which features practical articles and tips on Beauty, Fitness, Nutrition and more. www.safetan.com.au" target="new">SAFE TAN - The Ulimate Experience in Natural Sunless Tanning
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